Devil's Advocate

There is no other way to word it other then to say that the Devils have been horrible these past couples weeks. After loses against the Islanders, Wild, Avalanche and Jets, the Devils morale is literally down in the dumps. To make matters worse, Devils beat reporter Rich Chere provided these alarming statistics over their most recent trip.

* They are 0-3-0 on the road trip and are on a season-high four-game losing streak.

* On this trip they have been outscored, 14-5, by the Avalanche, Wild and Jets.

* The Devils have allowed seven short-handed goals this season, including four in the last seven games and six in 13 games.

* They’ve given up four 4-on-4 goals in the three games on the trip. Ilya Kovalchuk has played a part in three of them.

* Kovalchuk has been on the ice for 11 of the team’s last 14 goals-against, as well as 13 of the last 17.

* Zach Parise has been on the ice for 10 of the Devils’ last 17 goals allowed.

* Goalie Martin Brodeur, pulled after 8:17 of the opening period in Minnesota Friday night, has allowed six goals on the last nine first-period shots he’s faced.

* X-rays showed that right winger Cam Janssen was not seriously injured when he was hit by Winnipeg’s Arturs Kulda at 7:24 of the first period Saturday night, but he suffered a pretty bad hit to the chest. It seems he took the butt end of Kulda’s stick.

* The Devils have dropped to 12-12-1. It’s the first time they’ve had an NHL-.500 record since Nov. 3, when they were 5-5-1.

On the positive side:

* Rookie Adam Henrique has points in five straight games (two goals, four assists).

* They will get center Travis Zajac back for practice at some point this week, perhaps as early as Monday afternoon at the AmeriHealth Pavilion. Zajac has been skating on his own in New Jersey for the past couple of weeks as he recovers from Aug. 18 surgery to repair a torn Achilles tendon.

About Devil's Advocate

I am an all around NHL fan. I love to watch Atlantic Division, and root for the Philadelphia Flyers. Just because I cheer for the Flyers, doesn’t mean I don’t keep up with the other teams in the division, specifically the New Jersey Devils. Devils Advocate will provide you with the most important Devils news, filled with my opinion about the selected topic.

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